Stanton ready to reshape city

A consistent theme has flowed through Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton's first 100 days in office:

He and Phoenix are ready to lead, in expected as well as new ways.

If anyone missed the message, he repeated it clearly and forcefully in his first State of the City speech, delivered to a packed house at the Phoenix Convention Center and to anyone with an Internet connection.

"We need to make real changes to our economy and schools. Big changes," Stanton said. "The truth is Arizona is falling short. Other states and regions are making the smart investments -- and some are pulling away from us. ... It is time for action. And where others have fallen short, Phoenix will lead."

That leadership, as Stanton describes it, comes in matters large and small, on issues Phoenix-centric and of importance to the Valley and state.

For instance, Stanton announced he will lead a task force of mayors lobbying Congress to scale back defense cuts that would eliminate hundreds of high-paying jobs at Honeywell, Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. Those companies are spread across the Valley, yet the Phoenix mayor recognizes that jobs lost in Scottsdale or Mesa also hurt his city.

That's a big-picture view, as is his promotion of a second bioscience campus around the Mayo Clinic Hospital, advocacy of solar energy and promotion of trade with Mexico. ("If we've learned one thing these last few years, it's that short-term, divisive politics are bad for Arizona businesses," he said, illustrating his view of leadership.)

Details give depth to a picture, and Stanton showed he understands that.

The mayor called for a new downtown organization to give greater voice to the new ideas of "committed local talent" bringing such sense-of-place developments as the Film Bar, Crescent Ballroom, Roosevelt Row and Food Truck Fridays.

He announced a partnership with Barron Collier Co. to turn the unsightly 15-acre vacant lot at Central and Indian School into a showcase of public gardens, urban farming and other sustainable innovations. Stanton said it would be a pilot to be replicated around the city and region.

"By ... thinking creatively and trying new things, our city will lead our region, and our region will lead our state," he said.

On paper, Stanton's words have a confrontational, challenging ring to them. But in the delivery, that sense fades. He sounds collegial: Our friends have tried some things, they didn't quite get us there, so now our city will take a shot. Let's see if we can't find a better way.

That's yet another way to build coalitions, to lead toward the regional cooperation Stanton consistently promotes.

His primary message, though, needs to resonate at the Capitol and in city halls around the Valley. The old ways don't cut it. New approaches are needed. Phoenix is willing to break the mold, try new things, encourage fresh voices.

It can be an invitation or a challenge. But if it lights a fire, Stanton is getting the job done.